CAPCOG Announces 2019 Air Central Texas Award Winners

Austin, Texas – The Capital Area Council of Governments (CAPCOG) presented Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Capital Metro) and Scheleen Walker, Travis County Government Transportation and Natural Resources Long-Range Planning Director, with the 2019 Air Central Texas Awards. Both have made significant contributions to the region’s air quality by presenting them

2018 Air Central Texas Awards Recipients

Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority received the 2019 Air Central Texas Outstanding Organization award for its commitment to being a sustainable service provider. In 2018, Capital Metro launched Connections 2025, a re-imagining of the transit service.

This offered more frequent, connected and reliable service delivery resulting in a more than 5 percent ridership increase letting it be one of only a few transit agencies to see a significant increase in ridership.

In 2020, Capital Metro will launch its first zero-emission electric buses. A total of 10 buses will be put into service, and the North Ops Bus Depot will be transformed into one of the first fully electric ready bus depots with a capacity to expand the E-Bus fleet to over 180 buses.

Scheleen Walker received the 2019 Bill Gill Central Texas Air Quality Leadership Award for her career in air quality planning. While managing Travis County’s Air Quality Program, Walker was an essential partner in the development and implementation of the region’s ground-breaking, voluntary air quality improvement agreements.

Working with the Texas Commission on Environment Quality and US Environmental Protection Agency, the region was able to enact voluntary regulations to reduce ozone-forming emissions, and remain in compliance with the Clean Air Act’s standards for ground-level ozone.

During Walker’s first tenure at Travis County, she was instrumental in crafting vehicle emissions testing legislation, and supporting Travis County’s buy-in of the program.

Walker also served as Texas Representative Donna Howard’s Legislative Director where she facilitated the region’s air quality legislative agenda, and worked with Rep. Howard to author and pass legislation allowing local enforcement of heavy- duty vehicle idling restrictions.

Now back at Travis County, Walker continues to support efforts to reduce emissions and improve air quality in the County’s long-range planning initiatives.

The Air Central Texas Awards celebrate the activities by organizations and individuals that have made significant contributions to the region’s air quality and inspire future action that supports the Clean Air Coalition’s ongoing regional air quality planning efforts.

The Capital Area Council of Governments (CAPCOG), governed by elected officials from the ten-county region it serves, has worked for more than 45 years as an advocate, planner and coordinator on important regional issues.

For more information about the 2019 Air Central Texas Awards and event photos visit https://aircentraltexas.org/en/about/act-awards.